Draft tongue and coupler aligner



K. C. CLARK ET AL DRAFT TONGUE AND GOUPLER ALIGNER Nov. 22, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed April l, '1947 INVENTORS HA/UDREW B` C, L ARK K E NNE-VH C CLARK AT TO IQ NEYS f /HIIIIIHiiffI Nov. 22, 1949 K. c. CLARK ET Al- DRAFT TONGUE AND COUPLER ALIGNER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 1, 1947 INVENTORS ANDREW B. CLARK BIEN NETH C-.CLARK AT Tor=zNEYs Nov. 22, 1949 K. C. CLARK ET AL DRAFT TONGUE AND COUPLER ALIGNER I5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 1, 1947 @fmum ww NN K s K mmm m MAM d N QC w. Bc T H A wm l MN )DN AKB Nl JH |f/.\1`

Patented Nov. Z2, 71949 DRAFT TONGUE AND COUPLER ALIGNER Kenneth C. Clark and Andrew B. Clark, Watsonville, Calif.

Application April 1, 1947, Serial No. 738,672

12 Claims. (Cl. 22.80-33.15)

An object of our invention is to provide an improvement over our copending application on a Vehicle coupler, Serial 688,664, led August 6, 1946, now Patent No. 2,451,660, dated October 19, 1948, and over our application on a Vehicle coupler, Serial 716,376, filed December 14, 1946. In application Serial 688,664, we show a draw bar slidably mounted in a draft tongue with the inner end of the bar connected to the tongue by means of a swingable arm. In application Serial 716,376, we show the draft tongue provided with spaced channel-shaped guides for guiding the inner end of the draw bar into a predetermined retracted position, whereupon an automatic locking mechanism secures the bar against movement with respect to the tongue.

In the present form of the invention, we provide an attachment for the usual draft tongue and make use of an aligner bar that can be eX- tended and swung angularly with respect to the tongue so as to be attached to the pintle of the powered vehicle. The attachment includes novel means for causing the aligner bar to swing the draft tongue as the powered vehicle is moved toward it, whereby the draft tongue eye will be brought automatically into registration with the pintle.

A further object of our invention is to provide a device of the type described which includes means for automatically freeing the aligner bar from thepintle when the latter registers with the draft tongue eye, whereupon the eye will receive the pintle. If a safety latch is used with the pintle, the driver can swing the latch into closed position for securing the eye to the pintle.

Our draft tongue and coupler aligner is designed to be readily attached to the usual draft tongue of the vehicle Without any alterations being necessary in the tongue. The device is simple in construction and is durable and eil'icient for the purpose intended, The aligner bar is not subjected to any pulling stress during the towing of the trailer by the powered vehicle. All of these stresses are taken up by the tongue and eye in the same manner as if our attachment were not used.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, and the novel features of the device will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Figure 1 is a top plan View of a trailer with a draft tongue and shows our attachment secured to the tongue with the aligner bar extended and secured to the pintle of the powered vehicle;

Figure 2 is a top plan View of a portion of the draft tongue and illustrates the pintle substantially in registration with the eye;

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the draft tongue, a portion being shown in section and illustrates the eye in substantial registry withl the pintle;

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the draft tongue showing the eye receiving the pintle;

Figure 5 is a transverse section taken along the line V-V of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a side elevation of Figure Figure 7 is a top plan view of the attachment; I

Figure 8 is a transverse section taken along the line VIII-VIII of Figure 7;

Figure 9 is a top plan view of a portion Vof the attachment and shows the pintle receivingr jaws inopen position;

Figure 10 is a top plan view of the aligner bar and rollers; and

Figure 11 is a side elevation of Figure 10.

While we have shown only the preferred form of our invention, it should be understood that various changes or' modifications may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. I Y

In carrying out our invention, we makeY use of a trailer indicated generally at Aand the trailer has a fth wheel shown at B that is connected to a draft tongue indicated generally at C by pivot bolts I, or other suitable fastening means. The tongue is provided with the usual eye shown at D and Figure 3 indicates one way of preventing the eye from rotating about its longitudinal axis. The Veye has a square Vshank 2 that is received in a square bore 3 provided in an end piece 4 of the draft tongue. The inner end of the square shank 2 may be upset as at 5 and in this way the eye is readily secured to 'the tongue.

V'pin Il maybe passed through openings-"in the boss and `reduced end which. are aligned with each other when the cover 1 is in the closed position shown in Figure 6. Y

Y The parts thus far described are all standard construction and form no part of our invention except in so far as they cooperate with the parts now to be described. We will describe thealigner Y frame work and bar, and the pintle-gripping jaws in the order named, after which werwill describe the operation of automatically coupling a truck pintle to the eye of a trailer tongue.

Aligner framework when the aligner is secured to the tongue so that the outer webs I2a and I3a of the forward portions will coincide with the outer webs I4 and I5 of the draft tongue channels CI. and`C2. The aligner channels GI and G2 have rearwardly extending portions I6 and I'I that merge toward each other and form angles I8 and I9 at their juncture with the forward portions.

It will also be noted in Figure 7 that the rearward portions I6 and Il have their ends 29 and 2I arranged parallel with each other and spaced apart for receiving a pair of rollers 22 that are mounted on an aligner bar shown at H. The plan view of the bar H is shown in Figure 10. The forward end of the bar is recessed at 23 for bearing against the cylindrical surface of the pintle 6. The aligner bar H is slidably received in a rectangular slot 28 provided in a bearing block 29 and this block has vertically extending upper and lower trunnions 39 and 3|, respectively, that are rotatably received in upper and lower bearing plates 32 and 33, respectively, see Figure 8.

The plates have their outer central surfaces 32a and 33a lying ush with the upper and lower surfaces 34 and 35 of the aligner attachment G. The bearing plates are thicker than the thickness of the channels GI and G2 and therefore the plates are recessed at 36 so as to extend within the channels and bear against the channel sides. The plates may be secured to the channels by welding shown at 31 or other suitable fastening means. The arrangement is such as to provide a strong connection between the bearing plates and the channels and still permit the bearing 29 to rotate between the plates.

The bearing 29 will hold the aligner bar H in a position where the rollers 22 will travel in the guidechannels GI and G2 when the bar has been swung into an angular position to cause the rollers to enter either one of the channels. The aligner bar is free to be retracted and the rollers 22 will guide the inner end of the bar until the rollers are received between the parallel end portions 29 and 2| of the channels. When this position is reached, the longitudinal axis of the aligner bar will parallel the longitudinal axis of the attachment.

The channels GI and G2 are interconnected by upper transversely extending plates 38, 39 and 40. The plate 38 connects the parallel portions 20 and 2I together and the ends of the plate are welded or otherwise secured to the underside of the draft tongue at the wider portion of the latter, see Figure 4. The intermediate plate 39 connects the aligner channels GI and G2 at their joints I 8 and I9 and this plate has a length which will extend between the channels CI and C2 of the draft tongue. The plate 39 is welded to the underside of the tongue channels as clearly shown in Figure 6. The front plate 40 extends between the aligner channels GI and G2 and is connected to the draft tongue channels CI and C2 as shown in Figure 4. In this simple manner the attachment is permanently connected to the draft tongue and there is no need of changing the structure of the tongue in any way to effect this attachment.

Pinna-gripping jaws In Figure 1 we show the aligner bar extended and swung into an angular position so as to permit pintle-gripping jaws J and J to receive the pintle 6. Figures l0 and 11 show a threaded opening 29 for receiving a pin 25, shown in Figures '7 and 9. The jaws J and J are pivotally mounted on the pin and can swing from the closed position indicated in Figure 7, into the open position indicated in Figure 9. A spring 26 has its ends connected to the two jaws in such a manner that the spring will yieldingly hold the jaws in closed or openf' position. The spring is moved beyond dead center position when the jaws are swung from closed to open position and vice versa.

. The jaws have their outer ends overlapping each other to a considerable extent when they are in closed position. A pintle-receiving opening 2l is formed by the jaws when they are closed. When the jaws are opened, they may bear against stops, not shown, to maintain them in open position, or the spring 26 can urge the jaws into contact with the adjacent ends of the channel guides GI and G2 of the aligner, as is shown in the drawings.

We provide automatic jaw-opening means in the form of jaw spreading members 42 and 43. These are illustrated as portions of angle strips secured to the upper faces of the jaws and having their vertical portions adapted to contact with the tongue eye D as the pintle is brought near to registry with the eye, see Figure 2. The members l2 and 153 act as cams to swing the jaws into open position only when the pintle is in a position to receive the eye. The members d2 and 43 in contacting with the eye D will swing the jaws beyond dead center position, and the spring will hold them in open position.

Operation The truck E is backed up to the trailer and within the extended reach of the bar so that the bar H may be manually extended and connected to the pintle. We indicate two possible positions in Figure 1 of the truck E and show how the aligner bar can be extended and swung so as to be connected to the pintle in either of the two positions. There may be other positions into which the aligner bar may be moved between its extreme limits of travel. When the recessed end 23 of the bar abuts the pintle 6, the jaws J and J will be in a position where they can be manually closed about the pintle and the spring 26 will be strong enough to hold the jaws in closed position.

The driver can now get in his cab and back the truck toward the trailer. Ii the bar H is in the full line position shown in Figure 1, the rollers 22 will ride along the channel G2 of the attachment and as the rearward movement of the bar is continued, the rollers will be guided between the parallel channel portions 2li and 2|. During this.V movement the draft tongue C will automatically be swung about its king pin or pivot 4I so as tobring' the draft tongue eye D into registration with the pintle.

Figure 2 shows the tongue eye D and the pintle leye D with the pintle.

'6 in substantial registration with each other. The jaws'J and J' carry the automatic jaw spreading members 42 and 43. The upstanding portions of the jaw spreading members will contact with the outer periphery of the tongue eye D before the'pintle 6 comes into alignment with the center of the eye and this is clearly indicated in Figure 2. Further rearward movement of the truck with respect to the trailer will cause the jaw spreading members 42 and 43 to act as cams and completely open the jaws. This will cause the spring 26 to pass its dead center position, whereupon the jaws will be held in open position by the spring. At this point the pintle 6 will be in registration with the eye opening and the weight of the draft tongue will cause the tongue eye to move downwardly and receive the pintle 5.

Figure 3 shows the jaw spreading members 42 and 43'contacting with the outer periphery of the eye D and illustrates how the tongue eye itself is moved into position above the pintle and in registration therewith before the jaws will be opened sufliciently to free themselves from the pintle and permit the eye to drop and receive the pintle. Figure 6 illustrates the pintle received by the eye and shows the opened jaws positioned below the pintle. The same figure shows the safety latch 1 in closed position and the cotter pin I I connecting the latch to the pintle. The truck E is now'directly connected to the trailer and it was not necessary for the driver to swing the draft tongue about the king pin 4I to align the The aligning of the eye with the pintle was accomplished automatically by the aligner bar. Moreover, as soon as the pintle registered with the opening in the eye, the jaws J and J were freed from the pintle so that it could receive the eye.

The attachment after automatically making the connection between the eye and the pintle 'does not furtheract as any connecting means between the truck and the trailer. All of the pulling stresses between the two vehicles are carried by the pintle and the tongue eye in the same manner as is now customary.

lWe claim: Y

1. A draft tongue eye and vcoupler aligner comprising an attachment adapted to be secured to the draft tongue of a vehicle, the draft tongue including an eye, an aligner bar carried by the attachment and being extensible and swingable into various angular positions relative to the tongue, pintle-gripping means mounted on the extensible end of the bar, and arranged for connecting the bar to a pintle of a second vehicle and cooperating means carried by the bar and attachment 'for causing the bar to align the tongue eye 'with the pintle after the bar has been connected to the pintle and the pintle carrying vehicle and the tongue carrying vehicle moved toward each other.

` 2. A draft tongue eye and coupler aligner comprisingV anV attachment adapted to be secured to the draft tongue of a vehicle, the draft tongue including an eye, an aligner bar carried by the attachment and being extensible and swingable into various angular positions relative to the tongue, pintle-gripping means vmounted on the extensible end of the bar and arranged Vfor connecting the bar to a pintle of a second vehicle,

and cooperating means carried by the bar and attachment for causing the bar to align the tongue eye with thev pintle after the bar has been connected to the pintle and the pintle carrying vehicle and the tongue carrying vehicle moved toward each other, and automatic means for freeing the pintle-gripping means from the pintle when the tongue eyeregisters with the pintle, whereby the tongue will receive the pintle.

3. A draft tongue eye and coupler aligner comprising an attachment adapted to be secured to the draft tongue of a vehicle, the draft tongue including an'eye, an aligner bar slidably and swingably carried by the attachment and being extensible beyond the eye end of ythe tongue and swingable into various angular positions relative to the tongue, pintle-gripping jaws pivotally carried by the extensible end of the bar and arranged for connecting the bar to a pintle of a second vehicle, a pair of guide channels extending substantially lengthwise of the attachment, a roller carried by the end of the bar opposite the jaw-carrying end and adapted to be received in either channel when the bar is swung into a predetermined angular position with respect to the attachment, the channels guiding the retracting movement of the bar after the latter has been connected tothe pintle by the jaws and the pintle-carrying Vehicle moved toward the tongue-carrying vehicle, for causing the guides and bar to align the tongue eye with the pintle.

4. A draft tongue eye and coupler aligner comprising an attachment adapted to be secured to the draft tongue of a vehicle, the draft tongue including an eye, an aligner bar slidably and swingably carried by the attachment and being extensible beyond the eye end of the tongue and swingable into various angular positions relative to the tongue, pintle-gripping jaws pivotally carried by the extensible end of the bar and arranged for connecting the bar to a pintle of a second vehicle, a pair of guide channels extending substantially lengthwise of the attachment, a roller carried by the end of the bar opposite the carrying end and adapted to be received in either channel when the bar is swung into a predetermined angular position with respect to the attachment, the channels guiding the retracting movement of thebar after the latter has been connected to the pintle by the jaws and the pintlecarrying rvehicle moved toward the tongue-carrying vehicle, for causing the guides and bar to align the tongue eye with the pintle, a cam member carried by each jaw, said cam members oontacting with the tongue eye when the latter is about to register with the pintle forV gradually opening the jaws `and complete their opening movement when the pintle registers with the eye, whereby the jaws will free the bar from the pintle and the pintle will receive the tongue eye.

5. In a device of the type described, a draft tongue having an eye, an aligner bar carried by the draft tongue and extendible therefrom, a pair of jaws pivotally secured to one end of the bar,

cam members carried by the jaws and adapted to j contact the `tongue eye when the aligner bar is retracted relative to the tongue for opening the jaws, and spring means for holding the jaws in closed or open position.

6. A draft tongue eye and coupler aligner comprising an attachment adapted to be secured to the draft tongue of a vehicle, the draft tongue includingr an eye, an aligner bar slidably and swingably carried by the attachment and being extensible beyond the eye end of the tongue and swingable into various angular positions Vrelative to the tongue, pintle-gripping jaws pivotally carried by the extensible end of the bar. and

arranged for connecting the bar to a pintle of a second vehicle, a pair of guide'channels'extending substantially lengthwise of the attachment, a roller carried by the end of the bar opposite to the jaw-carrying end and adapted to be received in either channel when the bar is swung into a predetermined angular position with respect to the attachment, the channels guiding the retracting movement of the bar after the latter has been connected to the pintle by the jaws and the pintle-carrying vehicle moved toward the tongue-carrying vehicle, for causing the guides and bar to align the tongue eye with the pintle, and spring means for holding the jaws in either open or closed position.

7. A draft tongue eye and coupler aligner comprising an attachment adapted to be secured to the draft tongue of a vehicle, the draft tongue including aneye, an aligner bar slidably and swingably carried by the attachment and being extensible beyond the eye end of the tongue and swingable into various angular positions relative to the tongue, pintle-gripping jaws pivotally carried by the extensible end of the bar and arranged for connecting the bar to a pintle of a second vehicle, a pair of guide channels extending substantially lengthwise of the bar attachment, a roller carried by the end of the bar opposite to the jaw-carrying end and adapted to be received in either channel when the bar is swung into a predetermined angular position with respect to the attachment, the channels guiding the retracting movement of the bar after the latter has been connected to the pintle by the jaws and the pintle-carrying vehicle moved toward the tongue-carrying vehicle, for causing the guides and bar to align the tongue eye with the pintle, a cam member carried by each jaw, said cam members contacting with the tongue eye when the latter is about to register with the pintle for gradually opening the jaws and complete their opening movement when the pintle registers with the eye, whereby the jaws will free the bar from the pintle and the pintle will receive the tongue eye and spring means for holding the jaws in either open or closed position.

8. In an attachment for a vehicle tongue and eye, a frame securable to the vehicle tongue, a pair of channel guides facing each other and having front portions extending from the front of the tongue to a position substantially midway between the iront and the back of the tongue, the front portions diverging from each other from the front of the tongue to the rear of the front portions, said channel guides having central portions that converge toward each 'other and rear portions that extend parallel withrespect to each other, a bearing carried by the frontend of the attachment and rotatable about an axis that intersects'the tongue axis, an aligner bar slidably carried by` the bearing, a roller-carried by the inner end oflthe bar and receivable in either channel, and pintle-gripping means carried by the other end of the bar, the parallel rear portions of the channel-guides being spaced apart a distance equal to the diameter of the roller, whereby .the bar axis will parallelthe longitudinal axis of the attachment when Vthe roller isereceived between therear-channel portions.

9. In an attachment for a vehicle tongue Vand eye, 4a frame securableto the vehicle-tongue, a pairrof channel guidesfacing each other and having -front portions extending fromY the front of thetongue toa position substantially midway Vbetween the irontandythe backofthertongue,

thelfront portions diverging from each other from .the front of the tongue to the rear of the front portions, said channel guides having central portions that converge toward each other and rear portions that extend parallel with respect to each other, a bearing carried by the front end of the attachment and rotatable about an axis that intersects the tongue axis, an aligner bar Sldably carried by thebearing, a roller carried by the innerend of the. bar and receivable in either channel. and pintle-gripping means carried by the other end of the bar, the parallel rear portions of the channel guides being spaced apart a distanceA equal to the diameter of the roller, whereby the bar axis will. parallel the longitudinal axis of the attachment when the roller is received between the rear channel portions; transverse frame members secured to the channels for Spacing them the desired distance from each other, said .transverse frame members being secured to the tongue. y

10, In an attachment for a vehicle tongue and eye, a frame securable to the vehicle tongue, a pair of channel guides facing each other and having iront portions extending from the front of the tongue to a position substantially midway between the front and the back of the tongue, the front portions diverging from each other from the front of the tongue to lthe rear of the front portions, said channel guides having central portions that converge toward each other and rear portions that extend parallel with respect to each other, a bearing carried by the front end of the attachment and rotatablev about an axis that intersects the tongue axis, an aligner bar slidably carried by the bearing, a roller carried by the inner end of the bar and receivable in either channel, and pintle-gripping means carried by the other end of the bar, the parallel rear portions of the channel guides being spaced apart a distance equal to the diameter of the roller, whereby the bar axis will parallel the longitudinal axis of the attachment vwhen the roller is received between the rear channel portions, said pintlegripping means comprising a pair of jaws pivotally secured to the bar, andspring means for holding the jaws either in open or closed position.

1l. In an attachment for a vehicle tongue and eye, a frameV securable to the vehicle tongue, a pair of channel guides facing each other and having front portions extending from .the front of the tongue to a .position substantially midway between the iront' and the back of the tongue, the front portions diverging from each other 'from `the front of the tongue to the rear of the front portions, said channel guides having central portions that converge toward each other and rear portions that extend parallel with respect to each other, a bearing carried'by the front end of the attachment and rotatable about an axis that intersects the tongue axis, an aligner bar slidably carried by the bearing, a roller carried by the inner end of the bar and receivable in either channel, and 'fpintle-gripping means carried' by the! other end of the bar, and parallel rear portions o'i the channel guides being spaced apart a distance equal to the diameter of the roller, whereby the bar axis will parallel the longitudinal axis of the attachment when the roller is received between the rear channel portions, said pintlegripping means comprising a pair of jaws pivotally securedto'the bar, and spring means for holding the jaws either in open or closed position, and cam memberscarried by the jaws and inclined for opening the jaws when'the members are moved intocontactwith the tongue eye.

12. The combination with a Vehicle tongue and eye, of an aligner bar pivotally and slidably carried by the tongue, means Ifor paralleling the bar axis with the tongue axis when .the barl is fully retracted with respect to the tongue, a pair of jaws pivotally secured to the extensible end of the bar, spring means for holding the jaws in closed position to receive a pntle or in open position, the extensibie bar end having an arcuate recess to receive the pintle, and inclined cam members carried by the jaws and contractible with the tongue eye for opening the jaws when the center of the eye registers with the center of the opening formed by the closed jaws.

KENNETH C. CLARK. ANDREW B. CLARK.

10 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Clark Feb. 15, 1944 

